Hi Guys, this is my first post and would be grateful if any would could shead any light on a issue I have noticed with my 04 MC, i have a strange gurgling sound when setting off or at high RPMs in lower gears sounds like its coming from the front left side of the car. Any Help?

Andy
Sheffield, England

We are going to need a little more details about your car. (Stick /auto, miles, and mods) Yes Mods break things over time.

This could be many things like: a wheel bearing, Shock mount bearing, CV joint failure because of a broken CV boot, flat tire.....ect.

ok --OOPS

Sorry it’s manual, with 32000 miles on it. The only engine mod is Rear silencer factory fitted, then pretty much every other extras onit that’s not engine related e.g. aero kit, sat nav, HK etc. I’ve got the dreaded run flats on (which I will be replacing next tire change!) but there not flat. I’m sure I’ve read somewhere on here about a similar problem to do with the coolant leaking on the thermostat does this sound right? As I cant find the thread.

I would have to say that it is the Thermostat problem. Mine gurgled first thing in the morning. And in the morning I would find a dried puddle just to the left side of the engine. I had the dealer look at it and they replaced the thermostat and the problem is gone.

I wouldn't jump to a thermostat issue yet. Have you checked your coolant level? I had this same issue and it turned out my overflow tank had a crack and the coolant was always low. I installed a new tank had the cooling system flushed (just for good measure and because it had not been done before) and all has been well (that was 4 months ago and no issues).

GL,
Ike

It is almost certainly air pockets in the cooling system causing the "gurgle."

There are several possible explanations as to how it got there. A leak somewhere in the system is a possibility (note that there is a well-documented issue with the reliability of the seal on the overflow tank on 1st Gen MINIs). I agree with evilduck that you should monitor your coolant level over a few days and see if you notice any changes. Also, check to see if there's any evidence of coolant on your garage floor--the location can help you isolate the source.

The other common cause is improper bleeding of the system after a coolant flush. There are two bleed points and if the person doing the flush doesn't bleed them both in the right sequence, air will be left in the system and it will cause a considerable gurgle when you accelerate. I had this happen once and it sounded like a waterfall behind the instrument panel.

Probably not a serious issue, you should be back to normal ops soon once you get to the root cause.

Thanks for the help will be having a good look this weekend.